La Jolla Rough Water swim

Spill!

Mark

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:ht67b.30078$S_.15951@fed1read01...

Quoted message said:

Did anyone posting in here participate?

So, tell us, how was it for you?

It was my first officially timed, competition ocean mile.

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ht67b.30078$S_.15951@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

Did anyone posting in here participate? It was my first officially timed, competition ocean mile.

Congratulations Kitty..were you happy with your time and how were the water conditions.

Would have liked to try this one if I had known of it..but frankly with all the stuff on the news
about shark sightings and that poor woman who was swimming w/seals and wound up a shark fatality.
Well getting in the ocean..call me DaScaredyKat.

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<ht67b.30078$S_.15951@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

Did anyone posting in here participate?

So, tell us, how was it for you?

It was my first officially timed, competition ocean mile.

The 3 mile Gatorman for one hour and 16 min flat. My best time ever. Weather and water were great
but got tangled in those huge patches of kelp near the finish.

Oh, nothing impressive here. I survived. Did 35:41. I guess that's to be expected after only 8 weeks
of swimming. Coach was much happier with it than I was. Said maybe next year I can do 33. I said,
next year I have to do 30, if it kills me. A year of training ought to make a lot more difference
than 8 weeks. Well, I beat the gal that swam close to me most of the time. I had plenty of energy
left in the end, so in last couple of hundred yards I came from 2 lengths behind and finished 2
lengths ahead of this other gal. It'll take practice to learn to pace myself on longer distances.
After the fact I wish I had pushed it a bit harder. Water was nice and calm, in upper 60's. The 1
mile course didn't go through the Kelp thicket, but I did get couple little scrapes.

My best friend did the gator run (3 miles) in 1:14:3?, which included getting tangled in thick kelp
couple of times. She placed 5th in 30-34 age group.

People from my team took 1 places overall, in 1 mile and 3 mile (Chad Carvin took first in both, 1
and 3 mile) A gal, Dawn (forget her last name) from our National team placed 3rd overall in the 3
mile, and another 4-5 swimmers from the national team placed in top 10, so it was a pretty good team
sweep. I get to be the official photographer for the team. That's always pretty exciting 🙂

My friend did a 15 sec video clip of me, somewhere along the way. My stroke looks so retarded... LOL
I look more like a cat licking it's paws (bending elbows and crossing my arms) than I do swimming.
I'm surprised I manage to create any propulsion that way. So, it was fun, and nowhere near as far as
it seems when you're standing on shore, looking at the course.

But, really, I wanted to know if anyone else in here did that swim. Like, I know Larry is from about
the same area, it's conceivable he could have gone....

"Mark C" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Spill!

Mark

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:ht67b.30078$S_.15951@fed1read01...

Quoted message said:

Did anyone posting in here participate?

So, tell us, how was it for you?

It was my first officially timed, competition ocean mile.

"larry godo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<ht67b.30078$S_.15951@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Did anyone posting in here participate? It was my first officially timed, competition
ocean mile.

Congratulations Kitty..were you happy with your time and how were the water conditions.

Would have liked to try this one if I had known of it..but frankly with all the stuff on the
news about shark sightings and that poor woman who was swimming w/seals and wound up a shark
fatality. Well getting in the ocean..call me DaScaredyKat.

Thanks 🙂 I was okay with my time. It was faster than I thought it would be, but I'm so much at
the very beginning, that it's frustrating. I want to be much faster, and I want it NOW!!!
[stomping feet]

Well, I didn't see any sharks. I was more concerned about the other swimmers. Couple people tried to
swim right over me. Go figure, I thought they'd back off when they realized they are coming up on me
and making full contact, but nooo, they wound up almost crawling on my back. That reminded me to
turn on the kick, and stick out the elbow. That got them off of me quickly.

Once I got going I was fine, and comfortable. Well, I discovered that Kelp is kind of like sand
paper if you get caught in it, but if you go through it just right, it can even help you push off. I
found that out by accident... there was this one chunk of it that showed right in front of my face,
so I grabbed it did one of those 'get outta my way' thing as I was doing the stroke, and then I
realized the push off the kelp gave me a little extra kick. Who knew.

Yea, I was nervous starting and making sure I'm in the right heat and stuff like that, since it was
my first. As I was heading to the beach, the coach and one of my team mates were right there. I
jumped and exclaimed, I'm so stressed out, I need a hug, hugged both of them and ran off. I'm not
sure they quite knew what hit them 🙂)

I figured, with close to 3000 swimmers there, what are the odds.

larry godo said:

Would have liked to try this one if I had known of it..but frankly with all the stuff on the news
about shark sightings and that poor woman who was swimming w/seals and wound up a shark fatality.
Well getting in the ocean..call me DaScaredyKat.

The woman attacked was a few hundred miles north of you, man! And there has never been a white
attack in La Jolla, despite lots of bait. (There was the one scuba diver, but my recollection was
that he was seen with the widow the year after, making it all a bit "fishy"😉.

As for the recent collection of them with the whale carcass - is that San Onofre? - that merely
reinforces the safety angle. All your local pointers are there.
--
Jason O'Rourke www.jor.com

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<UTc7b.30366$S_.11067@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

Oh, nothing impressive here. I survived. Did 35:41. I guess that's to be expected after only 8
weeks of swimming. Coach was much happier with it than I was. Said maybe next year I can do 33. I
said, next year I have to do 30, if it kills me. A year of training ought to make a lot more
difference than 8 weeks. Well, I beat the gal that swam close to me most of the time. I had plenty
of energy left in the end, so in last couple of hundred yards I came from 2 lengths behind and
finished 2 lengths ahead of this other gal. It'll take practice to learn to pace myself on longer
distances. After the fact I wish I had pushed it a bit harder. Water was nice and calm, in upper
60's. The 1 mile course didn't go through the Kelp thicket, but I did get couple little scrapes.

My best friend did the gator run (3 miles) in 1:14:3?, which included getting tangled in thick
kelp couple of times. She placed 5th in 30-34 age group.

Quoted message said:

People from my team took 1 places overall, in 1 mile and 3 mile (Chad Carvin took first in both, 1
and 3 mile) A gal, Dawn (forget her last name) from our National team placed 3rd overall in the 3
mile, and another 4-5 swimmers from the national team placed in top 10, so it was a pretty good
team sweep. I get to be the official photographer for the team. That's always pretty exciting 🙂

My friend did a 15 sec video clip of me, somewhere along the way. My stroke looks so retarded...
LOL I look more like a cat licking it's paws (bending elbows and crossing my arms) than I do
swimming. I'm surprised I manage to create any propulsion that way. So, it was fun, and nowhere
near as far as it seems when you're standing on shore, looking at the course.

But, really, I wanted to know if anyone else in here did that swim. Like, I know Larry is from
about the same area, it's conceivable he could have gone....

"Mark C" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Spill!

Mark

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:ht67b.30078$S_.15951@fed1read01...

Quoted message said:

Did anyone posting in here participate?

So, tell us, how was it for you?

It was my first officially timed, competition ocean mile.

Well, I did the Gatorman for one hour and 16 min flat. It was my sixth Gatorman. I dropped some 25
seconds from last year. The huge patches of kelp were really bad, especially if you swam too close
to the shoreline. I got a little disoriented at the last 500 yards. Overall, the weather and water
were very nice. I felt smooth and powerfull all the way. My 10 yr son did the 250 yard and got
second place and a nice trophy.

"Hugo Zhang" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<UTc7b.30366$S_.11067@fed1read01>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Oh, nothing impressive here. I survived. Did 35:41. I guess that's to be expected after only
8 weeks

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

swimming. Coach was much happier with it than I was. Said maybe next year I can do 33. I said,
next year I have to do 30, if

it

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

kills me. A year of training ought to make a lot more difference than 8 weeks. Well, I beat the
gal that swam close to me most of the time. I had

plenty of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

energy left in the end, so in last couple of hundred yards I came from 2 lengths behind and
finished 2 lengths ahead of this other gal. It'll

take

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

practice to learn to pace myself on longer distances. After the fact I

wish

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I had pushed it a bit harder. Water was nice and calm, in upper 60's. The 1 mile course
didn't go

through

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the Kelp thicket, but I did get couple little scrapes.

My best friend did the gator run (3 miles) in 1:14:3?, which included getting tangled in thick
kelp couple of times. She placed 5th in 30-34

age

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

group.

Quoted message said:

People from my team took 1 places overall, in 1 mile and 3 mile (Chad

Carvin

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

took first in both, 1 and 3 mile) A gal, Dawn (forget her last name)

from

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

our National team placed 3rd overall in the 3 mile, and another 4-5

swimmers

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

from the national team placed in top 10, so it was a pretty good team

sweep.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I get to be the official photographer for the team. That's always pretty exciting 🙂

My friend did a 15 sec video clip of me, somewhere along the way. My

stroke

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

looks so retarded... LOL I look more like a cat licking it's paws

(bending

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

elbows and crossing my arms) than I do swimming. I'm surprised I manage

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

create any propulsion that way. So, it was fun, and nowhere near as far as it seems when you're
standing

on

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

shore, looking at the course.

But, really, I wanted to know if anyone else in here did that swim.

Like, I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

know Larry is from about the same area, it's conceivable he could have gone....

"Mark C" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Spill!

Mark

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:ht67b.30078$S_.15951@fed1read01...
> Did anyone posting in here participate?
>
> So, tell us, how was it for you?
>
>
> It was my first officially timed, competition ocean mile.
>
>
>

Well, I did the Gatorman for one hour and 16 min flat. It was my sixth Gatorman. I dropped some 25
seconds from last year. The huge patches of kelp were really bad, especially if you swam too close
to the shoreline. I got a little disoriented at the last 500 yards. Overall, the weather and water
were very nice. I felt smooth and powerfull all the way. My 10 yr son did the 250 yard and got
second place and a nice trophy.

Wonderful! Impressive time! You probably placed well too, in your age group, didn't you? (I don't
know what it is) I bet I saw you coming in, just didn't know it was you. I have a big group shot of
almost everyone on the beach, at the start of the race. Maybe I'll upload it on my website and post
the link. You can play "Where's Waldo" and see if you can find yourself in it.

Yea, I learned a new four-letter-word.... Kelp 😉 Those kelp patches you guys had to swim through
looked pretty thick and nasty.

Congratulations to your son too 🙂

"Larry Weisenthal" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But, really, I wanted to know if anyone else in here did that swim.

Like, I

Quoted message said:

know Larry is from about the same area, it's conceivable he could have gone.... <<

I did the three mile ("GatorMan"😉 in 1999; this year (this weekend) I was

back

Quoted message said:

East, taking my older daughter to college (but I did get in two very nice

long

Quoted message said:

course swims at Harvard's Blodgett pool).

The three mile La Jolla swim is great; clear water, kelp and garibaldi

fish,

Quoted message said:

rocks in the shallows (many people start the race with cut hands).

Straight

Quoted message said:

across to the Scripps pier and back. Halfway, you think that you are just

way

Quoted message said:

out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and you've got a couple thousand

feet of

Quoted message said:

water underneath you, which is sort of cool/eerie.

- Larry

Very much so. Yea, I was wondering if you might be there. I wouldn't know whether to try and say HI,
or to duck and run away 😉

The conditions were great, as far as water being smooth, and relatively warm. There was a huge patch
of Kelp that 3-milers had to swim through. I really felt bad for them for that one. I was thinking,
a lawnmower could have come handy 😉

Well, maybe next year you'll do it again 🙂

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in a message that "Larry Weisenthal"
<[email hidden]> wrote in a message

<<The three mile La Jolla swim is great; clear water, kelp and garibaldi fish, rocks in the shallows
(many people start the race with cut hands). Straight across to the Scripps pier and back. Halfway,
you think that you are just way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and you've got a couple
thousand feet of water underneath you, which is sort of cool/eerie.

- Larry>>

Hi Larry. Your description reminds me of my last competitive swim which was in La Jolla. It was the
Sri Chimnoy Swim-Run in 1993. I was 40 and still training at a fairly high level. At the time I
lived at an elevation of 5000 ft, high up in the San Gabriel Mts. We had a big house on a fire trail
in the Angeles National Forest (4 decks, 2 fireplaces, big orchard, etc.) on some horse property on
the east side of the range overlooking the Mojave. Quite beautiful.

I used to ride up to the Wrightwood Country Club on my mountain bike every morning in the summer to
swim in the lake (7500 ft elevation). The ride was often done over rocky terrain when it was still
pitch black and took about 45 minutes. I had a very bright halogen headlight so I wouldn't ride over
any rattlers or surprise a mountain lion or a bobcat. The bears usually weren't a problem - they
were a little higher up. It was always a thrill to make it to the lake alive. Quite the warmup. I
timed my ride to get to the lake at dawn. The club didn't open until 11 am, however, I had the
management's permission to let myself in and swim without a lifeguard on duty.

At the time I was training for a tri being held in Big Bear which was at about the same elevation
over in the San Bernardino Mts. I had never participated in an open water swim before and I have to
admit I was scared. I am a pool swimmer. I'm sure I'm not alone getting nervous when I can't see the
bottom. I learned to swim in Hawaii when we lived there in the late 50s, before Hawaii became a
state. The reason I learned to swim was this: I remember walking out into the surf one day chasing a
beach ball and walked right off the shelf into about 15 feet of water. I was 3 years old. I held my
breath and just dropped down to the bottom. I wasn't scared at that point because I didn't realize I
was about to die. I vividly remember watching little fish swim around me, I looked down at the white
sand on the ocean floor, etc. A beach guard saw me go under and ran out after me. He pulled me up
after about a minute just as I started to pass out. That experience kinda left an impression on me
and for about 35 years I NEVER felt comfortable swimming in open water.

Anyway, I was determined to overcome my fear and when a friend suggested the Big Bear Tri (three of
us would split the running, biking and swimming duties) I reluctantly agreed. So every morning I
swam a mile in the WWCC lake. Even that gave me the creeps though I knew it was only 10 feet deep.
Of course, every time I did it I bled off some of my fear and learned to relax. I kept this up for a
couple months.

To put food on the table I was coaching out in Barstow and when my afternoon practice ended, I would
swim another couple miles in the pool, a beautiful facility which is unfortunately closed now. The
economy died a horrible death out there. I was lifting about an hour a day at the time as well. I
was pretty strong at 40. My first child had just been born and I knew my days as a competitive
swimmer were numbered.

About 3 weeks out of the competition the date was changed. Yikes! I couldn't make it on the later
date so the 3 of us started looking around for another tri. The Sri Chimnoy event fit the bill. And
that scared me even more. This wasn't a lake swim, this was an ocean swim. I tried to back out and
my partners wouldn't hear of it. I was trapped. I almost always had a panic attack whenever our
family would go to the beach and play around in the surf. In 3 weeks I needed to overcome THAT fear
and swim in the ocean. Not just swim, compete.

One of my brothers-in-law lived in Cardiff-by-the-sea so I drove down the weekend before the
competition and asked him if he would shadow me as I swam across the bay. He paddled on a surfboard
as I swam. I made it 100 feet and my chest was so tight I couldn't breathe. If he hadn't been there
I probably would've drowned. I was not hopeful that this was going to be my crowning moment as a
masters swimmer. Taking a few strokes at a time I told myself not to look down, but to just close my
eyes and focus on the tactile sensation of swimming, not the visual aspect. I made it across after
about an hour. It was hell, but I made
it. I didn't get tangled up in the kelp and the seals didn't eat me. There's certainly something to
be said about looking death in the eye (as I did, or imagined I did, every morning on my ride up
to the lake). Whether the death is real or imagined, the relief is the same. You cheated death.
It frees you somehow to live a little more fully in the present.

The day before the competition I drove down to La Jolla and sat on the beach looking out over the
water. It is a spectacular view. I decided I would swim across the bay right then and there. No
preparation. No planning. No one shadowing me on a surfboard. Just get in and start swimming. I went
through a dozen moments when I thought I was going to pass out and just rolled onto my back and took
a few slow deep breaths and then went right back to swimming. I made it in about 45 minutes. I felt
like I was on top of the world. I could've quit then and been happy. Of course my partners wouldn't
have been too thrilled. One had decided to both swim and run and the other was going to be part of
my relay; I'd swim across the bay and crawl out of the water and tag his hand and he'd run 10K on
the hard packed sand. That was the plan.

I still didn't feel quite ready. So I swam back across the bay. Heck, I was already there. I'd just
conquered it so I knew I could do it. This time I didn't feel the panic I was so accustomed to. I
made it in about 40 minutes.

Now I felt I was ready. The next morning I showed up and met my partners and suddenly realized this
was going to happen. There were 650 people milling around the beach! Panic! Only 450 were going to
swim, however. The rest were runners who would be over on the beach waiting for their swim partners.
It seemed to me like 400 of the swimmers were college age male distance swimmers. At 6 feet, 175 I
felt like a shrimp amongst sharks. Oh well.

I had practiced the slow deep breathing I had learned as a martial artist on the drive over to the
staging area. I arrived early and practiced another 15 minutes before I got out of my truck and
found my partners. That is my secret and I freely share it here with everyone. I had already been
practicing martial arts for 15 years at that time. I knew how to focus and relax. That's the key to
athletic performance. That's what I teach my swimmers and that's what I practice in daily life.

When the starter fired his gun I sped out into the lead and felt like I was definitely in charge.
Then 100 swimmers swam over the top of me and kicked me as they went by. I had never done a mass
start before and had no clue as to a successful strategy. Now I knew but it was a little late. So I
started swimming alongside the main body of swimmers, finding my tempo and trying to stay relaxed.
After about 10 minutes I started to feel good. I picked up my tempo and starting passing people.
After another 10 minutes I felt great and started to sprint. I had rounded the buoy and was heading
into shore and kept passing people. I was the 12th person to emerge from the water and after a
couple seconds found my buddy and ran up to him and leapt over the sand to tag his hand before going
down in a heap.

For about minute I couldn't move. I just lay there gasping for air. Then I struggled over to the
oval staked out on the beach and cheered my partner on as he slowly caught and passed every one of
the other runners. At 5K he was in the lead and as I screamed widely on the sideline he lengthened
that lead until the finish. We won by 7 minutes. Our combined age was 76 years, about twice that
of the 2nd place team. As it turned out, it was the crowning moment of my masters competitive
swimming career.

I love La Jolla.

Regards,

Scott

"Scott Lemley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in a message that "Larry Weisenthal"
<[email hidden]> wrote in a message

<<The three mile La Jolla swim is great; clear water, kelp and garibaldi fish, rocks in the
shallows (many people start the race with cut hands). Straight across to the Scripps pier and
back. Halfway, you think that you are just way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and you've
got a couple thousand feet of water underneath you, which is sort of cool/eerie.

- Larry>>

Hi Larry. Your description reminds me of my last competitive swim which was in La Jolla. It was
the Sri Chimnoy Swim-Run in 1993. I was 40 and still training at a fairly high level. At the time
I lived at an elevation of 5000 ft, high up in the San Gabriel Mts. We had a big house on a fire
trail in the Angeles National Forest (4 decks, 2 fireplaces, big orchard, etc.) on some horse
property on the east side of the range overlooking the Mojave. Quite beautiful.

I used to ride up to the Wrightwood Country Club on my mountain bike every morning in the summer
to swim in the lake (7500 ft elevation). The ride was often done over rocky terrain when it was
still pitch black and took about 45 minutes. I had a very bright halogen headlight so I wouldn't
ride over any rattlers or surprise a mountain lion or a bobcat. The bears usually weren't a
problem - they were a little higher up. It was always a thrill to make it to the lake alive. Quite
the warmup. I timed my ride to get to the lake at dawn. The club didn't open until 11 am, however,
I had the management's permission to let myself in and swim without a lifeguard on duty.

At the time I was training for a tri being held in Big Bear which was at about the same elevation
over in the San Bernardino Mts. I had never participated in an open water swim before and I have
to admit I was scared. I am a pool swimmer. I'm sure I'm not alone getting nervous when I can't
see the bottom. I learned to swim in Hawaii when we lived there in the late 50s, before Hawaii
became a state. The reason I learned to swim was this: I remember walking out into the surf one
day chasing a beach ball and walked right off the shelf into about 15 feet of water. I was 3
years old. I held my breath and just dropped down to the bottom. I wasn't scared at that point
because I didn't realize I was about to die. I vividly remember watching little fish swim around
me, I looked down at the white sand on the ocean floor, etc. A beach guard saw me go under and
ran out after me. He pulled me up after about a minute just as I started to pass out. That
experience kinda left an impression on me and for about 35 years I NEVER felt comfortable
swimming in open water.

Anyway, I was determined to overcome my fear and when a friend suggested the Big Bear Tri (three
of us would split the running, biking and swimming duties) I reluctantly agreed. So every morning
I swam a mile in the WWCC lake. Even that gave me the creeps though I knew it was only 10 feet
deep. Of course, every time I did it I bled off some of my fear and learned to relax. I kept this
up for a couple months.

To put food on the table I was coaching out in Barstow and when my afternoon practice ended, I
would swim another couple miles in the pool, a beautiful facility which is unfortunately closed
now. The economy died a horrible death out there. I was lifting about an hour a day at the time as
well. I was pretty strong at 40. My first child had just been born and I knew my days as a
competitive swimmer were numbered.

About 3 weeks out of the competition the date was changed. Yikes! I couldn't make it on the later
date so the 3 of us started looking around for another tri. The Sri Chimnoy event fit the bill.
And that scared me even more. This wasn't a lake swim, this was an ocean swim. I tried to back out
and my partners wouldn't hear of it. I was trapped. I almost always had a panic attack whenever
our family would go to the beach and play around in the surf. In 3 weeks I needed to overcome THAT
fear and swim in the ocean. Not just swim, compete.

One of my brothers-in-law lived in Cardiff-by-the-sea so I drove down the weekend before the
competition and asked him if he would shadow me as I swam across the bay. He paddled on a
surfboard as I swam. I made it 100 feet and my chest was so tight I couldn't breathe. If he hadn't
been there I probably would've drowned. I was not hopeful that this was going to be my crowning
moment as a masters swimmer. Taking a few strokes at a time I told myself not to look down, but to
just close my eyes and focus on the tactile sensation of swimming, not the visual aspect. I made
it across after about an hour. It was hell, but I made
it. I didn't get tangled up in the kelp and the seals didn't eat me. There's certainly something
to be said about looking death in the eye (as I did, or imagined I did, every morning on my
ride up to the lake). Whether the death is real or imagined, the relief is the same. You
cheated death. It frees you somehow to live a little more fully in the present.

The day before the competition I drove down to La Jolla and sat on the beach looking out over the
water. It is a spectacular view. I decided I would swim across the bay right then and there. No
preparation. No planning. No one shadowing me on a surfboard. Just get in and start swimming. I
went through a dozen moments when I thought I was going to pass out and just rolled onto my back
and took a few slow deep breaths and then went right back to swimming. I made it in about 45
minutes. I felt like I was on top of the world. I could've quit then and been happy. Of course my
partners wouldn't have been too thrilled. One had decided to both swim and run and the other was
going to be part of my relay; I'd swim across the bay and crawl out of the water and tag his hand
and he'd run 10K on the hard packed sand. That was the plan.

I still didn't feel quite ready. So I swam back across the bay. Heck, I was already there. I'd
just conquered it so I knew I could do it. This time I didn't feel the panic I was so accustomed
to. I made it in about 40 minutes.

Now I felt I was ready. The next morning I showed up and met my partners and suddenly realized
this was going to happen. There were 650 people milling around the beach! Panic! Only 450 were
going to swim, however. The rest were runners who would be over on the beach waiting for their
swim partners. It seemed to me like 400 of the swimmers were college age male distance swimmers.
At 6 feet, 175 I felt like a shrimp amongst sharks. Oh well.

I had practiced the slow deep breathing I had learned as a martial artist on the drive over to the
staging area. I arrived early and practiced another 15 minutes before I got out of my truck and
found my partners. That is my secret and I freely share it here with everyone. I had already been
practicing martial arts for 15 years at that time. I knew how to focus and relax. That's the key
to athletic performance. That's what I teach my swimmers and that's what I practice in daily life.

When the starter fired his gun I sped out into the lead and felt like I was definitely in charge.
Then 100 swimmers swam over the top of me and kicked me as they went by. I had never done a mass
start before and had no clue as to a successful strategy. Now I knew but it was a little late. So
I started swimming alongside the main body of swimmers, finding my tempo and trying to stay
relaxed. After about 10 minutes I started to feel good. I picked up my tempo and starting passing
people. After another 10 minutes I felt great and started to sprint. I had rounded the buoy and
was heading into shore and kept passing people. I was the 12th person to emerge from the water and
after a couple seconds found my buddy and ran up to him and leapt over the sand to tag his hand
before going down in a heap.

For about minute I couldn't move. I just lay there gasping for air. Then I struggled over to the
oval staked out on the beach and cheered my partner on as he slowly caught and passed every one of
the other runners. At 5K he was in the lead and as I screamed widely on the sideline he lengthened
that lead until the finish. We won by 7 minutes. Our combined age was 76 years, about twice that
of the 2nd place team. As it turned out, it was the crowning moment of my masters competitive
swimming career.

I love La Jolla.

Regards,

Scott

Wonderful story 🙂 Thanks for sharing !

"Scott Lemley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"DaKitty" <[email hidden]> wrote in a message that "Larry Weisenthal"
<[email hidden]> wrote in a message

<<The three mile La Jolla swim is great; clear water, kelp and garibaldi fish, rocks in the
shallows (many people start the race with cut hands). Straight across to the Scripps pier and
back. Halfway, you think that you are just way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and you've
got a couple thousand feet of water underneath you, which is sort of cool/eerie.

- Larry>>

Hi Larry. Your description reminds me of my last competitive swim which was in La Jolla. It was
the Sri Chimnoy Swim-Run in 1993. I was 40 and still training at a fairly high level. At the time
I lived at an elevation of 5000 ft, high up in the San Gabriel Mts. We had a big house on a fire
trail in the Angeles National Forest (4 decks, 2 fireplaces, big orchard, etc.) on some horse
property on the east side of the range overlooking the Mojave. Quite beautiful.

I used to ride up to the Wrightwood Country Club on my mountain bike every morning in the summer
to swim in the lake (7500 ft elevation). The ride was often done over rocky terrain when it was
still pitch black and took about 45 minutes. I had a very bright halogen headlight so I wouldn't
ride over any rattlers or surprise a mountain lion or a bobcat. The bears usually weren't a
problem - they were a little higher up. It was always a thrill to make it to the lake alive. Quite
the warmup. I timed my ride to get to the lake at dawn. The club didn't open until 11 am, however,
I had the management's permission to let myself in and swim without a lifeguard on duty.

At the time I was training for a tri being held in Big Bear which was at about the same elevation
over in the San Bernardino Mts. I had never participated in an open water swim before and I have
to admit I was scared. I am a pool swimmer. I'm sure I'm not alone getting nervous when I can't
see the bottom. I learned to swim in Hawaii when we lived there in the late 50s, before Hawaii
became a state. The reason I learned to swim was this: I remember walking out into the surf one
day chasing a beach ball and walked right off the shelf into about 15 feet of water. I was 3
years old. I held my breath and just dropped down to the bottom. I wasn't scared at that point
because I didn't realize I was about to die. I vividly remember watching little fish swim around
me, I looked down at the white sand on the ocean floor, etc. A beach guard saw me go under and
ran out after me. He pulled me up after about a minute just as I started to pass out. That
experience kinda left an impression on me and for about 35 years I NEVER felt comfortable
swimming in open water.

Anyway, I was determined to overcome my fear and when a friend suggested the Big Bear Tri (three
of us would split the running, biking and swimming duties) I reluctantly agreed. So every morning
I swam a mile in the WWCC lake. Even that gave me the creeps though I knew it was only 10 feet
deep. Of course, every time I did it I bled off some of my fear and learned to relax. I kept this
up for a couple months.

To put food on the table I was coaching out in Barstow and when my afternoon practice ended, I
would swim another couple miles in the pool, a beautiful facility which is unfortunately closed
now. The economy died a horrible death out there. I was lifting about an hour a day at the time as
well. I was pretty strong at 40. My first child had just been born and I knew my days as a
competitive swimmer were numbered.

About 3 weeks out of the competition the date was changed. Yikes! I couldn't make it on the later
date so the 3 of us started looking around for another tri. The Sri Chimnoy event fit the bill.
And that scared me even more. This wasn't a lake swim, this was an ocean swim. I tried to back out
and my partners wouldn't hear of it. I was trapped. I almost always had a panic attack whenever
our family would go to the beach and play around in the surf. In 3 weeks I needed to overcome THAT
fear and swim in the ocean. Not just swim, compete.

One of my brothers-in-law lived in Cardiff-by-the-sea so I drove down the weekend before the
competition and asked him if he would shadow me as I swam across the bay. He paddled on a
surfboard as I swam. I made it 100 feet and my chest was so tight I couldn't breathe. If he hadn't
been there I probably would've drowned. I was not hopeful that this was going to be my crowning
moment as a masters swimmer. Taking a few strokes at a time I told myself not to look down, but to
just close my eyes and focus on the tactile sensation of swimming, not the visual aspect. I made
it across after about an hour. It was hell, but I made
it. I didn't get tangled up in the kelp and the seals didn't eat me. There's certainly something
to be said about looking death in the eye (as I did, or imagined I did, every morning on my
ride up to the lake). Whether the death is real or imagined, the relief is the same. You
cheated death. It frees you somehow to live a little more fully in the present.

The day before the competition I drove down to La Jolla and sat on the beach looking out over the
water. It is a spectacular view. I decided I would swim across the bay right then and there. No
preparation. No planning. No one shadowing me on a surfboard. Just get in and start swimming. I
went through a dozen moments when I thought I was going to pass out and just rolled onto my back
and took a few slow deep breaths and then went right back to swimming. I made it in about 45
minutes. I felt like I was on top of the world. I could've quit then and been happy. Of course my
partners wouldn't have been too thrilled. One had decided to both swim and run and the other was
going to be part of my relay; I'd swim across the bay and crawl out of the water and tag his hand
and he'd run 10K on the hard packed sand. That was the plan.

I still didn't feel quite ready. So I swam back across the bay. Heck, I was already there. I'd
just conquered it so I knew I could do it. This time I didn't feel the panic I was so accustomed
to. I made it in about 40 minutes.

Now I felt I was ready. The next morning I showed up and met my partners and suddenly realized
this was going to happen. There were 650 people milling around the beach! Panic! Only 450 were
going to swim, however. The rest were runners who would be over on the beach waiting for their
swim partners. It seemed to me like 400 of the swimmers were college age male distance swimmers.
At 6 feet, 175 I felt like a shrimp amongst sharks. Oh well.

I had practiced the slow deep breathing I had learned as a martial artist on the drive over to the
staging area. I arrived early and practiced another 15 minutes before I got out of my truck and
found my partners. That is my secret and I freely share it here with everyone. I had already been
practicing martial arts for 15 years at that time. I knew how to focus and relax. That's the key
to athletic performance. That's what I teach my swimmers and that's what I practice in daily life.

When the starter fired his gun I sped out into the lead and felt like I was definitely in charge.
Then 100 swimmers swam over the top of me and kicked me as they went by. I had never done a mass
start before and had no clue as to a successful strategy. Now I knew but it was a little late. So
I started swimming alongside the main body of swimmers, finding my tempo and trying to stay
relaxed. After about 10 minutes I started to feel good. I picked up my tempo and starting passing
people. After another 10 minutes I felt great and started to sprint. I had rounded the buoy and
was heading into shore and kept passing people. I was the 12th person to emerge from the water and
after a couple seconds found my buddy and ran up to him and leapt over the sand to tag his hand
before going down in a heap.

For about minute I couldn't move. I just lay there gasping for air. Then I struggled over to the
oval staked out on the beach and cheered my partner on as he slowly caught and passed every one of
the other runners. At 5K he was in the lead and as I screamed widely on the sideline he lengthened
that lead until the finish. We won by 7 minutes. Our combined age was 76 years, about twice that
of the 2nd place team. As it turned out, it was the crowning moment of my masters competitive
swimming career.

I love La Jolla.

Regards,

Scott

Great story. I'd give it two thumbs up..but I've got those damn fist gloves on.

Larry G.

chris <[email hidden]> wrote in a message

<<Scott,

As a coach, i buy these fistgloves at about 100 at a time. Last purchase i bought them through Total
Immersion, as they claimed to be the only distributor (although i notice the Kiefer catalog still
has Fistgloves...).

Anyway, i can understand how you might not want to deal with distibuting "onsies" and "twosies" on
your own, but would you want to deal with a larger order? i'm not asking for any kind of
direct-from-the-distributor "deal" or anything--we'll pay whatever TI or Kiefer charge--just
thinking that maybe you can recoup a little bit more of your outlay if we cut out the middleman.>>

Hi Chris -

In the past I've sold fistgloves retail, often one pair at a time. That's not part of my business
model currently. I'm happy to wholesale fistgloves to Total Immersion and Kiefer and let them sell
them one pair at a time or 100 pairs at a time. I won't undermine their efforts (or cut into their
profits) by selling retail.

I currently coach 2 teams (my club team and my high school team, where we're halfway through our 13
week season) which requires a very full day working at home and walking the deck. I've also recently
become a single parent with full custody of my two young children, another fulltime job. I'm also
the President of UFG Enterprises, Inc., the corporation responsible for manufacturing, marketing,
and selling fistgloves. That's about a half-time job only because the concept hasn't quite caught on
yet. Someday I'll retire from coaching (when my kids graduate from high school I'll be 58 and will
have been coaching for 33 years) and devote myself fulltime to building UFG.

What I STILL do in my spare time, however, is send out free sample pairs of fistgloves to just about
anyone who asks, be they a coach or a swimmer. Most of the time I also pay the shipping costs. Since
I still don't make a penny selling them (I've defered my salary with the company for 8 years now so
any revenues get plowed back into operating costs) and I have several thousand pairs sitting on the
floor of my office, I'm happy to do whatever I can to get the word out and give people as much
experience with fistgloves as possible.

I know that's not your situation - you're more than willing to pay for them. If you're still buying
them 100 pairs at a time, give Alice a call at Total Immersion and see if she'll cut you a deal.
I've gotta believe she'll be receptive with an order that size.

Thanks for the interest and thanks for continuing to use fistgloves in your coaching. My age
groupers (10-12 year olds), juniors (middle school age), and high school swimmers continue to
use them almost every day. Whenever my college kids are back home training with us, they use
them as well.

We don't use paddles (prefering to get our strength either very specifically with anaerobic sets
once a week or, more generally, in the weight room) and we don't use pull buoys (prefering to find
and maintain our balance without the articifical support of flotation devices). We occasionally use
boards (with our breaststrokers and in some sprint kick sessions) and fins (with our fly, backstroke
and freestyle sprinters). We've also started to use tempo trainers with our distance people. I've
always used surgical tubing for both resisted and assisted swimming. I was never much of a "device"
or "gimmick" coach, however, I have to say if there's a product out there that might help my
swimmers achieve their goals, I'll at least research it a bit.

For instance, we've also recently started putting a cooler full of Accelerade out on deck during the
high school practice. I think drinking water alone during practice isn't sufficient. Adding a little
protein, carb and electrolytes to that water just seems to make sense to me.

Take care and good luck with your coaching.

Scott

Hi Scott, and I thought I was busy!

You said:

We've also started to use tempo trainers with our distance people.

What's a tempo trainer? Is it one of those electronic "metronomes" that swimmers can slide under
their swim caps that emits a beep everytime they're supposed to stroke?

thanks, Eric

[email hidden] (4precious) wrote in a message

<<What's a tempo trainer? Is it one of those electronic "metronomes" that swimmers can slide under
their swim caps that emits a beep everytime they're supposed to stroke?>>

Hi Eric. That's exactly what a tempo trainer is. It's a very simple device costing about $35 or so
(I think). It's very inexpensive.

I think "tempo awareness" is one of the important keys to success with all my swimmers. I've gone to
great lengths over the years to help them "feel" the right tempo in their races. I used to make
cassette tapes for each of my swimmers going to nationals and take each one through their races one
by one, helping them visualize the race and pace I thought they could achieve. I used a stopwatch
and a script to keep me on track. I'd say "Now you're behind the blocks. You're feeling relaxed and
focused. Now you're on the blocks. The starter has just given the command to 'take your marks'. And
there's the horn. You dive into the water and streamline and kick strongly to the surface. Your
first strokes are very relaxed as you find your tempo." On and on. I knew each swimmer's tempo
history, of course, from noting it in every race they did and whether or not I thought they needed a
more relaxed tempo or a more upbeat tempo, I'd use an electronic metronome in the background of the
tape as I talked them through the race with the tempo set where I thought they should be. I'd turn
the metronome off when they were "in the turn" and then turn it on again as they "broke out" and
continued their race. I made sure the splits for each length of the race were exactly what I wanted
them to swim under ideal conditions.

At practice occasionally I used to hang a piece of copper pipe in the pool and bang on it with
another piece of pipe. I'd look at a stop watch while I did this to get as close as possible to the
tempo I wanted everyone to hold.

This new tempo trainer makes "tempo awareness" very easy to accomplish.

NOW . . . whether or not the swimmers are able to program their "internal" metronome's to emulate
the little disk under their caps - we'll see.

Take care.

Regards,

Scott